This week at Rosedale Cottage…#RomanticIdeas from author Barbara White Daille

Welcome to Rosedale Cottage, where we’ll be talking about great summer reads all summer long and sharing #RomanticIdeas to make this summer special.

This week’s guest is contemporary romance author Barbara White Daille, who will share a tunefully #RomanticIdea, and a little bit about her newest release. Thanks for stopping by the cottage, Barbara!

Glad to be here. My #RomanticIdea?

Check your area for summer music festivals.

They’re sometimes held in local parks, which gives you fresh air, beautiful surroundings, and of course, some great music. (As a bonus, they’re often offered at no charge.)

That’s a great suggestion, Barbara. I’m a big fan of outdoor music, and of free! Put the two together and it’s a winner.

Tell us a little about your new release, A Rancher’s Pride.

Sam Robertson’s life just changed. In one short day, he found out that he’s a daddy; that his beautiful little girl, Becky, is deaf; and that her aunt, sign language teacher Kayla Ward, intends to fight him for custody.

There are plenty of reasons Sam shouldn’t fall for Kayla. A city girl like her has no place on his ranch, particularly when she’s his ex-wife’s gorgeous sister. But thanks to the judge’s orders, Sam’s spending a lot of time with Kayla, trying to give Becky the stable home she’s never known.

Despite their ongoing custody battle, Sam and Kayla’s love for Becky brings them closer than they ever expected, and Sam knows that no matter who wins in court, he could still lose—Kayla or his daughter.

In this excerpt, Kayla believes she can convince Sam to learn American Sign Language, but her student is having trouble staying on task…

“N-no fair,” She protested. “You’re not holding a blue crayon.”

“I was talking about your eyes. They’re blue. Very blue. And your cheeks are bright pink all of a sudden.” He smiled and leaned closer. “I can learn all my colors,” he murmured, “just by looking at you.”

Her heart thumped heavily. She wanted to lean back but couldn’t. She should get up and walk away. Somehow, she couldn’t do that, either. “There are more signs than just colors, you know.” Her voice cracked on the last word.

He smiled. He knew just what he was doing to her. And darn him, he was enjoying it.

“True.” He nodded. “How do you say ‘I’?”

She pointed her index finger at herself.

“And how do you say ‘want?’”

“You…do this.” She held both palms up and crooked all her fingers as she pulled her hands toward her body.

He leaned even closer. “And how do you say ‘a kiss?’” he whispered.

“Uhh…” She paused. “I forget.” She had to draw the line somewhere.

Didn’t she?

Chuckling, he shook his head. “Well, maybe this will help your memory.” He slid his arm around her waist and held her close.

Before she could react, could close her eyes or even take a breath, Becky’s high-pitched laughter rang out. She stood in the kitchen doorway, her shoulders hiked up near her ears and her hands trying to cover the huge grin splitting her face.

A gesture that could probably be understood in any language.

Then she put the fingertips of each hand together and pursed her lips.

Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom.

The first of her Flagman’s Folly stories, A Rancher’s Pride, is available in Larger Print from Harlequin. You can also find the original version at most major e-tailers.

The next book in Barbara’s popular The Hitching Post Hotel series, Cowboy in Charge, releases July 2016, with other books in the series to follow. In November 2016, she begins a new sweet romance series for Entangled Bliss.